Shift4 Deepens Its Ties to Charitable Organizations And Widens Payment Options for Donors

The major processor Shift4 Payments Inc. is expanding its presence in the non-profit sector through a partnership with Give Lively, a fintech platform provider for that market. Shift4 said it will begin processing payments for Give Lively in 2024.

In addition, Shift4 will expand payment options on Give Lively’s platform by enabling donors to give charitable gifts using cryptocurrency and stocks through Shift4’s Giving Block unit. Acquired by Shift4 in 2022, the Giving Block enables charities, universities, and faith-based organizations to accept donations in cryptocurrency and other alternative currencies. To buy Giving Block, Shift4 agreed to pay $54 million in cash plus stock and cash valued at $246 million in an earnout

“At Give Lively, we believe that nonprofits shouldn’t sacrifice their means to satisfy their missions, and that giving should be intuitive and joyful for donors,” Give Lively chief executive David DeParolesa says in a statement. “This exciting partnership with Shift4 is a huge win for both donors and nonprofits. It will bring lower costs and more giving options to donors, as well as new tools that simplify giving for our 8,600 member nonprofits.”

The partnership raises Shift4’s profile with charitable organizations. In 2021, the processor’s chief executive, Jared Isaacman, led a fundraising effort for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the Inspiration4 project, the first space flight manned by an all-civilian crew. The project raised more than $250 million for St. Jude’s, of which more than $100 million was donated by Isaacman.

“As we’ve experienced in the payments industry for some time, donation methods are changing rapidly,” Isaacman says in a statement. “Nonprofits, like many other businesses, want the ability to accommodate their donors’ preferences. We believe that if you make it easy and affordable for nonprofits to adopt these modern donation methods, they will grow faster. That’s what this partnership with Give Lively is all about.”